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Damn those white teachers.. They are required to follow the schools curriculum. That does not mean they are racist and deliberately withholding knowledge from students. Though i do not condone the alleged behavior of the school kicking her out because of the essay. I think parents need to be more involved with their children academically and not leave everything up to the teachers, the school, the system.. If you ask your kid what they learned when they come home from school 9 times out of 10 they say nothing or i don't know. If parents would develop a closer relationship with their child's teachers and schools issues like this would be less likely to happen and students would be less malnourished intellectually

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A 13-Year-Old's Slavery Analogy Raises Some Uncomfortable Truths in School

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Liz DwyerLiz Dwyer

Education Editor

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March 1, 2012 • 2:00 am PST

76 comments

douglass

In a bold comparative analysis of The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Jada Williams, a 13-year old eighth grader at School #3 in Rochester, New York, asserted that in her experience, today's education system is a modern-day version of slavery. According to the Fredrick Douglass Foundation of New York, the schools' teachers and administrators were so offended by Williams' essay that they began a campaign of harassment—kicking her out of class and trying to suspend her—that ultimately forced her parents to withdraw her from the school.

In her essay, which was written for a contest, Williams reflected on what Douglass heard his slave master, Mr. Auld, telling his wife after catching her teaching Douglass how to read. "If you teach that nigger (speaking of myself) how to read, there will be no keeping him," Auld says. "It will forever unfit him to be a slave. He would at once become unmanageable, and of no value to his master."

Williams wrote that overcrowded, poorly managed classrooms prevent real learning from happening and thus produces the same results as Mr. Auld's outright ban. She wrote that her white teachers—the vast majority of Rochester students are black and Hispanic, but very few teachers are people of color—are in a "position of power to dictate what I can, cannot, and will learn, only desiring that I may get bored because of the inconsistency and the mismanagement of the classroom."

This above assertion on her behalf requires the assumption of accuracy on our behalf in order to give her argument any credibility.

Instead of truly teaching, most teachers simply "pass out pamphlets and packets" and then expect students to complete them independently, Williams wrote. But this approach fails, she concluded, because "most of my peers cannot read and or comprehend the material that has been provided."

Another assertion that we have to assume is true for the argument to have credibility.

As a result, she continued, not much has changed since the time of Douglass, "just different people, different era" and "the same old discrimination still resides in the hearts of the white man." Williams called for her fellow students to "start making these white teachers accountable for instructing you" and challenged teachers to do their jobs. "What merit is there," she asked, if teachers have knowledge and are "not willing to share because of the color of my skin?"

Huge assertion here that teachers are bad at their job and this is a result of racial discrimination rather than laziness, general unprofessional behaviour, lack of proper training, lack of proper resources or myriad of other possibilities.

According to the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, Williams' parents transferred her to another school, then withdrew her altogether. The conservative Frederick Douglass Foundation gave Williams a special award, saying that her essay "actually demonstrates that she understood the autobiography." They have also reached out to the school for an explanation of the 13-year-old's treatment.

While the issues Williams raises are controversial, even Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has acknowledged that closing the achievement gap requires more black educators in the classroom. But because the large majority of current teachers are white, they have a responsibility to figure out how to be effective with children of color.

Given that only 19 percent of School #3's eighth graders were proficient in language arts last year (and just 13 percent in math)—well below the state average of 60 percent—it's clear that the school and its teachers need to change their approach. Attempting to silence Williams by branding her a troublemaker and driving her off campus isn't the answer. Now she is walking away from this controversy convinced that white teachers don't want to educate black students at all.

As the parent of two black boys I know firsthand that white teachers can excel at teaching black children. What set those outstanding teachers apart was their genuine desire to see my boys succeed and hard work to build relationships with them and with our family. What if Williams' English teacher had used her essay to turn a critical eye on her teaching practice and her expectations for black students? What if the school had used it as a jumping-off point to start a student-centered dialogue about what everyone—teachers, students, and parents—must do to improve the struggling school? Until that happens in our schools, America's achievement gap will endure.

Huge amount of unsubstantiated assertions here that require the assumption of accuracy on our behalf to treat this item with any serious considerations. I am also a little disinclined to attribute a huge amount of credibility to a 13 year old's analysis of complex issues.

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I don't mind that the original analysis came from a 13 year old, I find it interesting all the same. More so that it is now being further investigated by academics and educators.

The topic deserves attention and her understanding of it deserves credit.

The topic here is not parental involvement (@ Mclovin)

I absolutely agree parents should be more involved… I recently learnt some parents don't even teach their kids to read! They just wait for the school system to take over. How sad is that?

Here was an opportunity to address an area that obviously requires attention and grow from it, but instead they shut her out. Ignoring a problem and, at the same time insulting her intelligence.

Only 19% of eighth graders at that school are proficient in language... Thats awful! What a great opportunity to revise and improve. I think so anyway.

"Given that only 19 percent of School #3's eighth graders were proficient in language arts last year (and just 13 percent in math)—well below the state average of 60 percent—it's clear that the school and its teachers need to change their approach. Attempting to silence Williams by branding her a troublemaker and driving her off campus isn't the answer."

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Ha this is kinda funny, and the first i've heard of it (i live in Rochester) but there's some truth to the student's analysis, but it's also a bummer that i feel like she's the type of girl that will age into an overall pretty racist person. i could be wrong though, and it's besides the point anyway.

Our city schools are pretty bad. infact that's an understatement, they are awful. the 2010 graduation rates were 51%, which was better than 2009's 46%. The statewide graduation rate was 76%.

I think it involves way more than the majority of teachers being white, because that shouldn't matter to someone who isn't racist. Unless everyone feels that black kids should just learn from black teachers, and so on, but i find that mentality to be pretty dumb. Most kids here just don't want to go to school. I work right down the street from Monroe High, which had the worst graduation rate in 2010 of 36%. I see those kids wandering around the streets all day. they aren't even at school, they're just chillin all day.

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I think she has a point, but to make it a Race issue (which im not suprised coming from a nigger) isnt what this is about.

Its an Us against them thing, but the US isnt people of color and the them isnt white people as a whole. Yeah alot of cops, and teachers and politcians are white... but trust me there are just as many white people getting shat on by those in control of things.

If we would stop making this a race or nationality issue and everyone realize that its poor people who dont have shit, or limited resources against those who have way too much shit in comparison, maby the system wouldnt work so well..

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THe real question is, why did Mr. Incognito find this article? Is he taking classes online at the university of phoenix? Or even worse, is he IN phoenix? if so LOL.

Why are there white teachers in mostly black/hispanic school districts? ASK THE BLACK/HISPANIC COMMUNITIES. BLACK/HISPANICS DONT GIVE A FUCK ABOUT TEACHING. There are some, I had some, but not as many as I've had whites and asians.

WHY DOES IT EVEN MATTER WHAT RACE THEY ARE? Kids don't see color that way. Kids in black/hispanic communities just think white people are rare like pokemon. When they see one in the streets riding a bicycle or doing something white people do, they stop and stare, and then go home and tell their friends. They dont think better or worse about them. The only kid who cares that their teacher is white, is a kid with racist parents. Poor Hispanic and Black people are the most racist people I know. That's not a bad thing, I'm just saying that poor black and hispanic people bitch about when a white person says ANYTHING remotely racist, then they turn around and help their kid write an essay about how nothing has changed since the days of slavery because their public school teacher is white. GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE. We can go back to the days when you had to be white to receive a public education if you feel that way.

The kid wasn't expelled for thinking public education was slavery. THe kid wasnt even expelled. The kid was removed from class. We dont even know for how long. I bet you it went down like this, the kid was taken out of class for the day so the teacher could have a sit down with the parent about the disturbing racist things he/she said. The parent/teacher conference happened, the parents didn't feel like their son/daughter should have to be more tolerant to white teachers SO THEY PULLED THEM OUT OF SCHOOL for the publicity. They said, "Sorry Junior, say bye to your friends because mommy and daddy have a vendetta to fulfill and we're gonna use you for political gain." ANY PARENT that pulls their kid out of a public school because of some shit THEIR KID said, instead of working with their kid, is a fucking moron.

A very similar thing happened to me in kindergarten. Black kid walks up behind me and bashes my head into a concrete waterfountain. Lost one of my first teeth like that. When he's sent to the principal he tells him that i called him a nigger. Him telling the prinicpal is the first time i ever heard the word. Black kid is taken out of class until the principal can talk to the parents. Parents withdrew him from school because they dont like the way their kid was treated and put him in some private school. Meanwhile i'm missing a fucking tooth because they taught their son a whole lot of intolerance.

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Its ok, one day there wont be any more WHITE teachers, or people in this areas the worse things get and one day theyll have no one left to blame.

You could fill that school with black and hispanic teachers(if you could find enough) and the kids would still be retarded, still cant fucking read in the 8th grade, and still blaming white people even if not a single person in the school system was white.

Fuck em, they need to appreciate the fact white people would put up with their niglish enough to be paid absolute shit to babysit ther stupid ass.

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The main element of education that this doesn't address is the nature of the teacher-student relationship. No teacher in any classroom, no matter how well funded and equipped can teach someone that doesn't want to learn, or is indifferent. The teacher is obligated to present the information, and assign tasks. They can't force you to learn, that is impossible. I went to court ordered schools, I saw this firsthand. So the initave must be taken by the student to put forth the effort. That motivation must come from within in the form of a desire to better yourself, to satisfy curiosity, to expand your understanding. If those are not there, then all the forced education in the world won't teach you a thing aside from how to work the system.

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Then you ask if and why non-whites are over-represented in lower socio-economic schools.

We have a different situation but same dynamic over here. The indigens act like they never do anything wrong and the Europeans are to blame for everything. Sometimes they are right, other times they are not.

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you fuckin white devils never cease to amaze me on this website. this little girl is stating the obvious. at this point all i can do is feel sorry for you peckerwoods. jews got you by your little pink balls, thinkin you smart, thinkin you "livin the dreeammm", THINKIN youre superior but in reality youre all just pawns.

you think going to college will make you smart and sucessful??! you think just because you spend a shit load of your hard earned money to read/buy books that you could of read for free at the damn library makes you smart? then you same motherfuckers that studied so hard worked so hard cant even get a job. and your dumb ass owes some bank HELLA money now.

lets say you do get a job. you work for 40 years MAKIN SOME OTHER CRACKER RICH. cause thats what a job is b. then once youre finally done paying them off loanzz you go buy a bunch of shit you dont need like botox injections cause youre old as fuck.yeah white people skin get wrinkly as fuck QUICK b.

white people are so damn easy to control and manipulate, its wild b!! my peeps aint as gullible and weak so they throw us(black men) in jail over petty as shit.

white people do and think what the fuckin tv tells them to fuckin do son. you niggas see some buildings get blown up and now you signing you damn life away ready to ride for these jews.....even tho they the ones who did the shit. get the fuck outta here. no fucks were givin in the black community about that 9/11 shit. only in america will the mass majority of people think 2 arab niggas stole a fucking plane with a fucking box cutter.

all these niggas with power around this bitch wanna do is milk your ass b. and they doin a damn good job.....but not to us blacks cause we get section 8 and food stamps so we dont have to pay money for food and shelter and shit like that. and we steal cable bitch. but they have to give us that shit because we'll revolt. white people are too scared/dont have the nuts to ever revolt. you motherfuckers wont even tell your asshole boss you want a raise.

we could be ridin around driving cars with batteries that last forever but YOUR people sabotaged that shit cause they greedy asses need that oil money. you crackerjacks need to wake the fuck up. your the majority b. not blacks or hispanics or anybody else. if ever politician was black shit would be way different around this bitch trust me. my people aint greedy lil dick motherfuckers who need to control every aspect of everyTHING.

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A very similar thing happened to me in kindergarten. Black kid walks up behind me and bashes my head into a concrete waterfountain. Lost one of my first teeth like that. When he's sent to the principal he tells him that i called him a nigger. Him telling the prinicpal is the first time i ever heard the word. Black kid is taken out of class until the principal can talk to the parents. Parents withdrew him from school because they dont like the way their kid was treated and put him in some private school. Meanwhile i'm missing a fucking tooth because they taught their son a whole lot of intolerance.

you probably did call him a nigger. you just didnt say it to his face because youre a fuckin white coward. lil homie found out and snuffed you.

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Im with Gucci Mane LaFlare .. Black people are different than white people and all white people are the same and act the same, talk the same. and where the same shit. man fuck these crackers. We need a revolution .. im sick of selling crack and being locked up all the time. to bad i never had a dad growing up. I wish my skin wasn't black because color really matters if you want to make it in this world.. Obama please show us the way! We want change! :( .. I knew this was going to turn into some racist bullshit eventually.. might as well play along

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you probably did call him a nigger. you just didnt say it to his face because youre a fuckin white coward. lil homie found out and snuffed you.

I honestly didnt know what a nigger was until that WB kids club, tap dancing little nigger called himself a nigger to the principal. And homie didnt snuff me. He pushed the back of a child's perfect blonde head through a concrete water fountain because at six darkie already felt like his birth was a mistake. Meanwhile I'm white, and six years old, with the entire playground running over to make me feel better. Do you have any idea what that feels like? You couldn't possibly understand the feeling of loving everything, and everything loving you, while the black kid stands there already working the race card at six years old. THere isnt anything you can do or say to hurt my feelings. You know that term "cracker?" It refers to the good ole days when slave drivers would crack whips at their slaves. How does calling me a cracker make me feel bad?

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you fuckin white devils never cease to amaze me on this website. this little girl is stating the obvious. at this point all i can do is feel sorry for you peckerwoods. jews got you by your little pink balls, thinkin you smart, thinkin you "livin the dreeammm", THINKIN youre superior but in reality youre all just pawns.

you think going to college will make you smart and sucessful??! you think just because you spend a shit load of your hard earned money to read/buy books that you could of read for free at the damn library makes you smart? then you same motherfuckers that studied so hard worked so hard cant even get a job. and your dumb ass owes some bank HELLA money now.

lets say you do get a job. you work for 40 years MAKIN SOME OTHER CRACKER RICH. cause thats what a job is b. then once youre finally done paying them off loanzz you go buy a bunch of shit you dont need like botox injections cause youre old as fuck.yeah white people skin get wrinkly as fuck QUICK b.

white people are so damn easy to control and manipulate, its wild b!! my peeps aint as gullible and weak so they throw us(black men) in jail over petty as shit.

white people do and think what the fuckin tv tells them to fuckin do son. you niggas see some buildings get blown up and now you signing you damn life away ready to ride for these jews.....even tho they the ones who did the shit. get the fuck outta here. no fucks were givin in the black community about that 9/11 shit. only in america will the mass majority of people think 2 arab niggas stole a fucking plane with a fucking box cutter.

all these niggas with power around this bitch wanna do is milk your ass b. and they doin a damn good job.....but not to us blacks cause we get section 8 and food stamps so we dont have to pay money for food and shelter and shit like that. and we steal cable bitch. but they have to give us that shit because we'll revolt. white people are too scared/dont have the nuts to ever revolt. you motherfuckers wont even tell your asshole boss you want a raise.

we could be ridin around driving cars with batteries that last forever but YOUR people sabotaged that shit cause they greedy asses need that oil money. you crackerjacks need to wake the fuck up. your the majority b. not blacks or hispanics or anybody else. if ever politician was black shit would be way different around this bitch trust me. my people aint greedy lil dick motherfuckers who need to control every aspect of everyTHING.

Im guessing this is verbatum what you said at your last job interview that ended with them saying they'd "let you know"

You've gotta realize that every argument black people have against white people is silly. Every other culture just looks at black people and says "they dont want to work? more money for me."